Maybe I cannot relate because I drink 4 to 6 liters of water per day but do people really need to be electronically prompted to drink enough water? (On the flip side, I also don’t need a watch to tell me to get up and walk around — because I drink 4 to 6 liters of water a day...)
I think drinking 2-3 liters of water per day (~100 ounces?) is seen as beneficial for the health. People usually don't drink that much because they don't feel thirsty, but they would like to.
I don't live in the US so I don't know what I'm talking about.
The idea that you need to drink liters of water a day is a modern invention due to misreading of research. It completely depends on the weather, exertion, and how much water is in the food you eat.
The vast vast vast majority of people drink way too little water. I drink a little over a gallon a day in addition to the occasional coffee or soda and still occasionally feel the effects of dehydration. I know people who may only have 2-3 glasses of water in a day and nothing else. It's crazy they're still alive.
I usually do. I have a 2 liter water bottle that I fill up at least twice a day. Though ironically with the heat this summer, I've been exercising and drinking less.
I sit at my desk like a drone and drink very little water, but I do see where you're coming from. The nanny state we live in, people need to be told to do anything - look at fitbit...Its time to walk!
Yes agreed, it's not helpful to search for a constant consumption requirement. A healthy and sedentary person, with a reasonable diet, on a cold, gray, damp day, does not need to consume much water.
In 1945 there was a recommendation that a healthy adult should have about 2.5 liters of water intake a day, including water that is part of the food you eat.
Somehow the media managed to drop the last part, and recommended you drink at least 2l water a day. Or even more.
The point is that the 8 glasses of water a day thing is bullshit. I see people carrying giant jugs of water around all the time and people commenting on basically forcing this on themselves. Drink when you're thirsty. That's all you need to do.
I guess I use the same method. For a year or so, I forced myself to drink an additional liter of water per day and I didn’t feel any difference from it, except that I had to go to the toilet all the time. The only problem that arises now is that I tend to forget that I’m a bit thirsty because of the ubiquitous distractions in our lives.
What people often take away from that is that they should drink eight glasses of water _in addition to_ everything else they might consume--soda, juice, coffee, and anything else that has water in it. And they think there's a rule they need to adhere to, and not trust the fact that our bodies are actually pretty good at letting us know when we need water.
I'm definitely not headed to the bathroom every half hour, like I would be if I drank 4 liters of water ever day. What exactly needs that much replenishing working at a computer in the air conditioning most of my day?
Military suggests roughly 4 liters for an active person, for an entire day. Even adding another liter for strenuous and in dry climates, that's far less than 8 liters.
When I was treating water to drink while traveling I would 2 liters a day. That seemed to be right on the edge of being thirsty a lot while being fairly active
I drink more than that now. But it gives me an excuse at the office to get up and walk to bathroom then walk around. So its not just the staying hydrated. Plus its hard to drink too much water and better for you generally then other liquids.
An even better reminder IMHO is to just drink plenty of water, then your body tells you when it's time to get up and empty your bladder (and refill the glass). I've been using this method for ~25 years without the need for digital reminders. My glass holds 0,5 Liters of water and that's usually the limit for my bladder.
I constantly have to remind myself to drink water. I ignore all cues to drink and only notice when it's an emergency. I have to actively engage to remember to hydrate. It's a huge problem for me.
On an average day working my office desk job, my hydration goal is 2L and it's plenty. I often have to force myself over the finish line. (And I was a trained healthcare professional in a former life; I know how to judge hydration and I'm plenty well hydrated.) I cannot even remotely imagine drinking 4L of water in a day unless I was doing manual labor in warm weather for most of the day.
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